The Owens Plating Company Site which is located in Rainbow City, Etowah County, Alabama was a metal plating facility that operated three zinc-on-carbon-steel processes. The Site is a former electroplating facility that ceased operations in early 2003 and shut down the premises in 2004.
The Site consists of a large combined building that is approximately 56,500 square feet in size. The site is located at 1440 Sutton Bridge Road in Rainbow City, Etowah County, Alabama. The site sits in a mixed-use community, with industry and residences nearby. The 56,500 square foot facility’s wall structure is compromised and allows for easy access into the facility. The facility has an area containing approximately 117 vats and 388 55-gallon drums along with approximately 1,000 small containers located in the laboratory. These containers range in size from 100 milliliters to 5 gallons. Many of the drums and small containers are unlabeled and the contents of the 177 plating line and water treatment vats have not been identified. The plating vats all have material present, either in liquid or solid/sludge form. The facility has rapidly deteriorated due to the corrosive environment produced by the abandoned plating lines.
ERRS continued to use shears and a grappler to remove the building from on top of containers. Crews removed the roof and walls from Areas H, G, F, I. Nearly 90 containers were found buried under the collapsed roof. ERRS currently is in the process of removing the intact roof from Area J to allow equipment to access the vats underneath.
ERRS and START completed segregation, stabilization, and documentation of solid and liquid containers. To date, 101 vats, 345 containers of liquids, 88 containers of solids, 25 sludge gondolas, and 9 waste water treatment sumps have been sampled.
ERRS completed hazard categorization testing on all samples.
START delineated preliminary waste streams for each container. To date, 9 liquid and 8 solid waste streams have been identified. ERRS will review the preliminary findings and adjust as necessary. Some waste streams may be combined into compatible streams at a future date, depending on disposal options.
ERRS continued to clean and destroy empty metal and plastic drums.
Continue demolition of building to allow safe and efficient access to three plating lines and orphan drums.
ERRS chemists will begin compatibility testing and bulking scheme derivation.
Begin bulking of vat wastes and removal of vats from the building. The vats will be rinsed prior to being cut up for scrap.
Continue to interface with Rainbow City local officials and adjacent neighborhoods.
The site will demobilize from June 30 until July 6 in observance of Independance Day.
Up to the present removal activities, most of the containers and electroplating lines/vats were and some continue to be exposed to the weather and continue to deteriorate. The facility’s metal siding is corroded and the exterior walls and roofing timbers are disintegrating.
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